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On Trump and Social Media

This is an article from the New Yorker, from an issue I brought along on my current trip to London, published before the election.

Now, I hate to give people like Cernovich this publicity, even if it’s bad publicity, but people need to know this stuff is going on. This article is about a man who seems to be one of the leaders of the alt-right movement in America. He started out as a lawyer, and has learned how to use social media to his advantage. The way he and others like him spread misinformation like viruses makes me sick. I know that many Americans don’t know any better and just lap it up… no wonder Trump won, if people like this guy are successful at what they do.

I feel like I’m living in a dystopian speculative fiction novel. In fact, I’m reading The Stand by Stephen King right now (only about halfway done with it so no spoilers please!) and it hits way too close to home — minus the plague part, of course. Two very polarized groups of people organize themselves against each other: one fueled by hate, one fueled by love. A character in it, Harold, starts off as a misunderstood, bullied young boy who joins the “good” side, and after the girl he has a crush on falls in love with someone else, he lets hate burn inside him like a fire and starts scheming against the very people who helped him. He is exactly the kind of character that would fit right into this “alt-right” movement.

The point I want to make here is that modern technology and social media is not only pushing us into our own echo chambers, it’s making those echo chambers deafeningly loud. Cernovich himself is not the root of the problem, he’s just taking advantage of the situation for his own gains. Technology is allowing this. It’s a double-edged sword, because of course we don’t want to take away free speech. We don’t want to police thoughts and ideas. That’s a dangerous road. But this got me thinking… why am I only learning about this guy now? Why hasn’t the mainstream, more liberal media talked about people like him more?

At this juncture, it’s extremely important for all of us to stay as informed as possible. Don’t cordon yourself off in your own echo chamber. Learn about everything that’s going on. Dig as deep as you can for facts, whenever possible. Don’t believe anything you see at face value, even from media sources you trust, unless it’s based on fact. Always question the easy answers. Be willing to change your opinion on an issue given new information you find.

And finally, it goes without saying, but be better than the sexism, racism, and bigotry we’ve been seeing in this campaign and are starting to see more of now that this election has seemingly “legitimized” the things Trump thinks are okay. Don’t choose fear. And most importantly, don’t choose hate. I see hate from both sides of the fence right now and it scares the shit out of me. I don’t know what the answer is, but hate feels so wrong. Be better than that. Every one of these bullies has a story to tell if you dig deeper. Often it’s insecurity–like Harold.

As much as I would like to say (facetiously) that I’d love to stay away from the US, it’s clearly more important than ever to support my fellow Americans. As I’ve heard others say in the past couple days, it’s okay to feel whatever you feel right now. Many of us feel as if we’re grieving. It is absolutely crucial, though, to not let hate, fear, and misinformation win. Spread love, and caring, and facts. Listen to each other. Have fact-based, thoughtful discussions with others. Stand up for what you believe in. Let your friends know you’re there for them. Somehow, we’ll get through this. I have to have hope that we will, or I might just go crazy.

Take care of yourselves. <3

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